Path to Greatness: To be a Master
by MasterShwin
Summary: Ash decides early on that he should take being a trainer seriously in order to achieve his goals. After meeting a special Pokémon, Ash realizes that he has the ability to achieve many things and strives for greatness. He is more prepared starting his journey and is overall smarter and more confident. He still has a lot to learn though. This is Ash's Path to Greatness.
1. Chapter 1 Fall of Sceptile

Path to Greatness: To be a Master

**Author's Note: Welcome! This is my first fanfic ever. I would appreciate any comments from anyone who reads the story. Feel free to point out any grammatical errors so I can fix them. **

**This story was started from an idea in a challenge given by Dragonheart1234.**

**A few things:**

**I will be adjusting the ages of some characters. This probably won't happen earlier but characters in the later series might be older than they are in the anime (i.e. May, Max, Dawn, etc.)**

**Pokemon will have more than 4 moves. I will try not to go over the top with moves, but they will have 4+ moves. This applies to everyone's Pokemon, Ash will not be the only one with such a large advantage.**

**Trainers may specialize in types, but most of the characters will have a few or several Pokemon not of their main type(s).**

**Trainers will be able to teach Pokemon moves that are tutored in game. They also may teach some egg moves in this story, at least those moves that make sense or would be easy to teach.**

**I think that is all for now. I will try to avoid long author's notes at the beginning of chapters and save them for the end. This will probably be the only exception.**

Chapter 1: Fall of Sceptile

Sunlight filtered through the numerous gaps in the canopy of the forest, dotting the ground with various patches of light. All seemed quiet in the forest and barely a sound was heard as it seemed all the local Pokémon had retreated into hiding. Then suddenly, the quiet was broken with a loud cry of a Pokémon, almost a roar.

_TIIILLEEEE! _A large Sceptile dashed through the undergrowth, running and jumping so quickly through the forest that it seemed to be hovering, even flying under the trees. In one hand it cradled an egg against its chest, while slashing aside any obstacles with its leaf blade from the other hand.

Well behind the Sceptile, a large, muscular man was crashing through the trees and shrubs, hoisting a net gun over his shoulder and cursing after the fast Pokémon. Reaching for his belt with his free hand, the man grabbed a Pokéball and opened. With a burst of light, a large black canine like Pokémon appeared with two horns and a red snout.

_DOOM!_ The newly emerged Pokémon howled out and without waiting for orders from the man began chasing the Sceptile.

"Houndoom, use Flamethrower!" gasped the man, slowing down after having chased the Sceptile for quite some distance. The Houndoom shot burning flames from its mouth, but the Sceptile dodged rather easily. It then fired back a green sphere of energy that collided directly with the Houndoom before it could even consider dodging.

"Damn, that Sceptile has a crazy fast Energy Ball attack!" The poacher kept cursing under his breath as he jogged after the Sceptile. He then grabbed another Pokéball and sent out another Pokémon. A blue dragon with red wings emerged and looked towards its trainer for direction. "Salamence, go after that Sceptile!"

By the time Salamence took off, the Sceptile had disappeared from view. Houndoom got to its feet, looking rather enraged but not heavily damaged.

Sceptile ducked around a bend of trees, and crouched down to avoid being seen. It panted lightly, tired but not overly so. Out of nowhere, the Sceptile heard the cracking of a fallen branch and looked up. A boy with a red and white cap over seemingly messy black hair had walked into the grove of trees and upon seeing the Sceptile looked scared and curious at the same time.

"Finally a Pokémon," he whispered, rather loudly, although he thought the Sceptile wouldn't have heard him. He walked towards the Sceptile, who promptly started growling quietly and staring the boy down. The Pokémon pulled the egg in his arm closer to him in a protective manner. The boy's eyes went wide as his gaze found the egg held by the large green Pokémon.

Suddenly, both the boy and the Sceptile flinched at the sound of an overwhelming roar. Looking upwards they saw the large Salamence of the poacher. The poacher was riding on the back of the Salamence. A few seconds later, the Houndoom bound into the grove of trees. Sceptile immediately jumped towards the other side of the grove, and picked up the boy in its free hand. Then Sceptile immediately dashed off out of the grove, even faster than before.

The poacher and his Pokémon started following in pursuit. Glancing back, Sceptile released several seeds at both Pokémon. The attack hit its mark, with both Houndoom and Salamence becoming covered in vines.

"Damnit, a Leech Seed attack," the poacher seethed. However, before Sceptile could put some more distance between itself and the poacher, Salamence fired a Flamethrower attack. Unlike the previous attack from Houndoom, this one was on target and Sceptile took a good amount of damage. Shaking it off, the Sceptile kept going and was able to put some distance between itself and its slowed down foes. Sceptile came into a clearing of trees and placed the boy down. It was panting heavily and this time was truly tired. Sceptile then glanced at the boy. He seemed concerned for the Pokémon's wellbeing.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked in a whisper. Sceptile shook its head, replying no. Then it stared deep into the boy's eyes. The boy suddenly felt something in his mind talking to his very soul.

"_I am not going to make it. They already have my mate and the poacher probably has his team arriving soon to capture me_."

The boy almost fell over in shock.

"You can talk?"

The Sceptile replied, "_Yes, I can. I am special Sceptile. The Treeckos, Grovyles, and Sceptiles in my area of Hoenn can all communicate this way. They have the ability to control and manipulate Aura. It is typically only Riolu and Lucario that have this ability, but we carry it as well. The poachers are after me because of this and other special abilities that I have. I know this is a shock to you, but I need you to take this egg. In it is my offspring and that Treecko will have the same abilities I do."_

The boy, rather stunned by the Sceptile's request replied, "You want me to take care of this egg?"

"_Yes, I can sense something special in you, and I feel that you would be able to care for the special Treecko that will hatch from this egg. Raise it as your own and become a trainer with it. I can see within that you have the ability and desire to be great. This egg can help you and I know you can help this egg."_

Hearing the Sceptile's words the boy pulled himself together and responded, "Okay, I will do it. I promise you this; I will take care of this Treecko and raise him or her to be the greatest Sceptile of all time."

Nodding the Sceptile gave his parting words to the boy, "_Thank you, I know you can. Now go, and remember this, if you know your goals and know yourself, then you can have the conviction and confidence to achieve anything you want. I will always remember the favor you are doing for me."_

With that, the Sceptile handed the boy the egg and give him a gentle nudge to get away from him. The Sceptile then turned and confidently walked forward to meet the poacher who had finally started making his way towards the Sceptile. The young boy turned away slowly and began jogging away from the scene, sorrowful about the fate of the Sceptile but assured that his role was to keep the egg safe.

After going a good distance away from the Sceptile, the boy turned around at the sound of Salamence's roar. The poacher and his Pokémon had finally freed themselves of the vines from Leech Seed and had reached the Sceptile. Houndoom and Salamence let loose powerful Flamethrower attacks, but Sceptile used detect and avoided both of the attacks. The Sceptile then jumped forward and swung its arm forward towards the Houndoom, his fist shining with white energy which collided with the Houndoom and sent it flying backwards. Enraged at this attack, the poacher called out for his Salamence to attack.

"Salamence use Dragonbreath!" Releasing a beam of green flames from its mouth, Salamence roared yet again. Sceptile sent an Energy Ball attack to counter the Dragonbreath attack. The two attacks cancelled each other out in a small explosion. In this confusion, Houndoom finally recovering from Sceptile's attack leapt forward, flames forming at his mouth.

The Houndoom jumped onto Sceptile with its fire fang attack and bit onto Sceptile's forearm. Wincing in pain, Sceptile quickly used a Brick Break attack several times into the side of Houndoom's body. Growling from the attacks, Houndoom released Sceptile from its jaws, at which point Sceptile shot a Dragon Pulse attack right at Houndoom's underbelly. Rising up shakily from the damage of Houndoom's Fire Fang attack, Sceptile stood up straight and released its own Dragonbreath attack at Salamence. The Dragon Pokémon dodged and returned its own Dragonbreath again. Unlike Salamence, Sceptile was unable to dodge completely, and the Dragonbreath attack grazed his side. Shaking off the attack, Sceptile released a jagged blue beam from its mouth right at Salamence's wing.

The Pokémon was unable to dodge this time and the beam hit Salamence's wing. Salamence roared in pain and was unable to flap its wing. It went into a fall towards the ground. Sceptile mustered his energy and jumped towards the falling Pokémon. Sceptile's fist sparked with energy and he swung it right into Salamence's head.

Salamence continued falling and right before it hit the ground, the poacher jumped off and returned his downed Pokémon.

Sceptile turned his focus towards the poacher and Houndoom and knew he had no chance. The poacher had reached for his belt yet again and grabbed another Pokéball.

"Accelgor, it's time to finish this!" A Pokémon much smaller than Houndoom or Salamence previously, emerged from the Pokéball. It had a pink head with green stripes and black mark in the middle in between them.

Sceptile tensed up, as he knew this Pokémon would a forced to be reckoned with. The green Pokémon had used his Aura and sensed that the Accelgor was much faster than him. However, he would go down fighting. Sceptile leapt into action, knowing that he first had to eliminate Houndoom from this battle.

Sceptile ran forward and immediately hit Houndoom with a Drain Punch attack, knocking it out and also regaining some health.

The poacher laughed, "Ha, that was a clever move, but Accelgor is so powerful that it almost doesn't matter."

Sceptile knew this was true, after all Houndoom had been on its last leg and the energy Sceptile was able to regain was inconsequential.

"Alright Accelgor, use Quick Attack," commanded the poacher. Faster than most Accelgors, the Pokémon flashed towards the Forest Pokémon. Sceptile was unable to dodge, and Accelgor slammed into him with such momentum that he was sent flying backwards. "Follow up with Sludge Bomb," yelled out the poacher.

Accelgor released a burst of the Sludge Bomb attack. Sceptile wasn't out for the count, and was able to dodge the first burst. Accelgor released another two bursts, and while Sceptile was able to dodge the first of the two, the second hit his side.

Wincing in pain, Sceptile jumped and hit Accelgor with an Aerial Ace attack, which couldn't be dodged if executed correctly. Glad that he had gotten off a hit, Sceptile followed up with a Dragon Pulse attack.

However, Accelgor dodge the attack and launched a Toxic attack. Sceptile prepared to dodge it, but then a blaring pain went through him. The repeated attacks to his side from the poacher's Pokémon had finally caught up with him, and he stumbled and fell to the ground in pain. The Toxic made contact and badly poisoned Sceptile.

The poacher used the opportunity to shoot a capture net using his net gun that he had been carrying the whole time.

"Ha, at long last I've caught you. I know someone will pay a handsome price for such a special Sceptile," mocked the poacher.

A black Jeep with a trailer attached to the bag that consisted of multiple cages drove up towards the poacher. Another man jumped out of the Jeep, and together they hoisted the net with Sceptile and threw the Pokémon into one of the cages.

During this whole time of the battle and capture, the young boy had sat paralyzed with shock and fear behind a clump of bushes. Now realizing that there was nothing he could do, the boy resolved to get the egg to a safer location and began dashing away as quietly as possible. He resolved that if he could, he would one day save the Sceptile, and with that thought he broke out into a run and never looked back.

**AN: Well that's all for this chapter. Leave any comments if you want. I will try to update regularly, but there is no guarantee.**


	2. Chapter 2 Stepping Stones

Chapter 2 Stepping Stones

The young boy finally saw an opening in the tree line with light bursting through. He had been running for almost an hour and by this point was panting heavily. As he went through the opening, the boy arrived on a hill, overlooking the beautiful Pallet town. The boy smiled weakly.

"Home," he whispered to himself. As he made his way down the hill toward the road into Pallet town, the dark haired boy talked to the egg he had been entrusted with. "You are gonna love it here. There is so much to do. But one day, once you hatch, we will both go see the world."

Now that the boy had escaped the poachers, he ambled down the road towards his house. He knew he was going to be in trouble with his mom, considering that he was not only late but also filthy from running through the forest.

The boy continued down the road and passed a gate, one he had gone past many times before. The gate to the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory. Professor Oak was one of the world's foremost experts on Pokémon. The boy couldn't wait to go there and start his journey. He knew he had a little over a year left to wait.

"One day, we'll start our journey from there, and we will be the best there ever was." Past the gate on top of a large hill was the lab. A large windmill was lazily rotating. Next to it was a large mansion and beside it was the Oak Corral, containing many Pokémon. The boy had spent many a day there playing with Pokémon and his childhood friend, the grandson of Professor Oak.

The boy kept walking, finally arriving at a two story white house with a red roof. A small white fence surrounded the property. The boy walked up the steps of the front porch and cautiously opened the handle. He figured that if he could sneak upstairs to his room without his mother noticing and clean himself up, his mother wouldn't be upset. The boy carefully padded into the house and began making his way toward the stairs. However, before he could begin climbing, a voice made him freeze.

"Well, it's about time you came home young man. Where have you been?" At hearing his mother's stern voice, he knew he was in trouble. He slowly turned around to look her.

"I was in the forest," he said in a small voice.

"Ash, you know you shouldn't go there. You have no Pokémon to protect you!" His mother walked forward to him. "You could get hurt, and I've been so worried because I had no idea where you were. Now, what good came from going there? Why are you all filthy and what are holding behind your back?"

"Well, I met a cool Pokemon in the forest and it gave me something." This whole time, the young boy, Ash had hidden the egg behind as back as to avoid showing his mother. He gulped nervously. He now brought it in front of him and showed it to his mother.

She looked rather surprised and took the egg from him. Walking towards a cabinet in the living room, Delia Ketchum pulled out a glass case with a metal bottom and top. She pulled of the tops and gently placed the egg into the cushioned case. Replacing the lid, she pushed a button, and with a hum the incubator came to life.

"This is an incubator; it helps maintain the egg properly. I think you better tell me what happened Ash," stated the mother.

Ash immediately launched into his story. "So I was walking through the forest and I came into a clearing. I saw this Pokémon and because I had looked through that book on grass Pokemon that Professor Oak gave me, I knew it was a Sceptile. It was tired and a poacher was chasing after him on this dragon Pokémon. The Sceptile picked me up and was able to run away from the poacher for a bit because it used this seed attack on them. Then he talked to me."

His mom was again stunned at this, "Able to talk. Are you sure?"

Ash nodded back and said, "The Sceptile said it could talk because of something called Aura. He told me he was being chased because he was a Sceptile with unique abilities. They had already caught his mate. So he told me to take this egg and then run. I started running but turned back to see if he would make it." Ash became sorrowful. "He didn't. I saw him battle three Pokémon and he took down two before he got beat by the third one. I don't know what Pokémon it was, but it was too fast and poisoned the Sceptile."

Delia said nothing for a moment, talking in everything Ash had told her. In that moment she made up her mind, if the Sceptile specifically told Ash to keep the egg, then she would let him take care of it.

"Okay, Ash. I think you can keep the egg. We should tell the police about the poacher but Sceptile entrusted you with that egg, and I want you to a good job taking care of it. Alright?"

Ash nodded giddy with excitement, and immediately grabbed the incubator and ran it upstairs to his room.

Downstairs his mom reflected on this development. She thought to herself, 'If he is going to take care of that egg and be a good trainer, I need to help him. Lord knows he can't be lost like his father was when he first started his journey, especially with a baby Pokémon.'

Meanwhile, Ash was thinking to himself on what Sceptile had told him. 'That Sceptile told me I could be great. I want to be the greatest. There's no way I can be the greatest if I don't know anything when I start my journey. I need to start learning everything I should know before I leave next year.' These thoughts went through his head as he showered and went to sleep that night.

The next day, Delia took Ash and they headed over to Professor Oak's Laboratory nearby. Coincidentally, when they got there, Pallet Town's Officer Jenny was there.

"Ah Delia, Ash how are you today?" Professor Oak greeted them as they approached the front of the lab. "Officer Jenny here was just informing me that some poachers were in the area yesterday. Why don't you tell them Officer?"

"Well, some poachers were in the area. Apparently, one of the Pokémon they had already caught and were transporting escaped with its egg. We only know this because we were able to catch one of the poachers. The rest escaped along with all the Pokémon. However, while they caught the escaped Pokémon, the egg wasn't found. We're trying to find the egg so we can put it in good hands and not just leave it out in the forest," stated Officer Jenny.

Ash tensed up at hearing this. He was unsure whether he should tell the officer that he had the egg. After all, they might take it away from him. He looked up to his mother who gave him an almost imperceptible shake of the head, telling him not to confess his ownership of the egg.

Upon seeing that they had nothing to say, Officer Jenny bid the three farewell and left on her motorcycle.

"So Delia, why are you and Ash here? Is there something you need?" Professor Oak invited them in to the lab.

"Professor, I would like Ash to start preparing for his journey now. After all, he will be eleven in little over a year, and I don't want him to start travelling and training unprepared. So I was wondering if he could spend time at your lab and borrow some reading material so he can be best prepared for his journey."

Professor Oak replied, "Why I think that is a great idea! So many trainers start off unsure and unprepared. I'll help Ash in any way I can. Let me go fetch some basic material for him to start off with. He can also come help me around the lab. I'll have some help with my research and work, while at the same time Ash can gain some valuable experience studying and caring for Pokémon."

"Thanks Professor!" Ash exclaimed with joy. He was rather excited. After all, how many people could say they studied under and helped the Professor Oak?! He was determined to learn as much as he could, and he knew that when his journey started in a year, he would be ready.

* * *

_Two months later…_

"Mom, look it's about to hatch!" Ash yelled for his mother as he ran down the stairs in his house, carefully clutching the egg case. He reached the kitchen counter and placed the egg on it, pointing excitedly for his mother to look. He took the egg out of the case, so that the Pokémon inside would have enough space to emerge.

The egg slowly began to glow brighter, while cracks began expanding in the shell. Soon, the egg began to glow completely white. The eggshell disappeared while a Pokémon could be seen in the glowing white silhouette. Suddenly, the glowing stopped and where the egg had been minutes before now lay a small green reptilian Pokémon. It slowly got onto its feet and gave out its first sound.

_Treeeeeeckooooo!_ The little bipedal Pokémon exclaimed, opening its yellow eyes and surveying the room. Its first gaze fell upon Ash. For a second the Pokémon stared at him, not breaking eye contact. Then it jumped it his arms and promptly fell asleep.

Delia was happy with this. "Aww look, the two of you are bonding already!"

Ash mumbled back embarrassed by his mother, "Mom…"

* * *

_Four months later…_

There were only seven months left before Ash's eleventh birthday. He would be leaving a week after his birthday. That was the annual day when eleven year old trainers left the town with their first Pokémon. Of course, Ash already had his first Pokémon. Delia had purchased a Luxury Ball for Ash to catch Treecko in, thinking that it would help their friendship grow. Although, it seemed unnecessary as Ash and Treecko had bonded quickly and were rather close, Ash liked having a special Pokéball for Treecko. He had caught in Treecko in it, but had to wait to officially have Treecko registered as his Pokémon until he became a trainer.

Delia had told Professor Oak that she got Treecko for Ash, and the Professor happily agreed to register Treecko to Ash the day he became a trainer. For the past six months, Ash had been helping Professor Oak in his lab. He would help feed the Pokémon at the corral, make observations on them, and also read various books on the different types and techniques of Pokémon. The Professor couldn't be happier with his apprentice, often complimenting his work ethic and thanking him for all the help.

Ash felt prepared for his upcoming journey with all the knowledge he had obtained from Professor Oak. In addition, his mother taught him cooking and other basic survival skills. Ash felt that with all this prior knowledge, he might be able to get ahead of his rival and friend Gary. Despite, being Professor Oak's grandson, he never wanted to work in the lab. However, he still had tons of knowledge on Pokémon, and Ash knew he would have to train and study extra hard to have a chance of contending with him if they met at the Pokémon league.

* * *

_Six months later…_

"Treecko, try a Double Kick attack!" Ash was training his Treecko. Using one of Professor Oak's Pokedexes to scan Treecko, Ash had discovered that Treecko had inherited some special moves and techniques from Sceptile. Treecko had certain egg moves that normally would be very difficult to be taught from scratch. Of course, while the moves maybe inherited, Ash still would have to train Treecko in order for him to be able to use any of those moves.

Currently, the two were in Ash's backyard, where some rocks were setup for Treecko to practice his Double Kick and Crush Claw attacks. There were many other attacks Treecko had inherited, but Ash felt more comfortable to start off trying with the basics. He had also tried to help Treecko learn the Bullet Seed attack; however, thus far they had little success with the move. Treecko had also found that he had the ability to use Aura, but likewise this technique had barely been successful in training. Ash and Treecko were determined, they knew that training and practicing were the stepping stones to greatness, and their goals were nothing short of that, greatness.

* * *

**AN: That's all for this chapter. Please feel free to review or PM any comments you have. Thank you to those who reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. I aim to have longer chapters as this story progresses, as these are relatively shorter ones. **

**Some notes on speech: when a person is talking what they say will be surrounded with quotes "…"**

**When a Pokemon talks with Aura italics surrounded by quotes- **_**"talk"**_

**When a Pokemon just cries out our shouts it will be plain italics: **_**Treecko!**_

**Thoughts will in single apostrophes 'thought'**

**I know this chapter is a bit dry, don't worry it will pick up again soon.**

**That's all for now.**


	3. Chapter 3 The Starting Steps

Chapter 3 The Starting Steps

"Treecko use Iron Tail!" Ash and Treecko were in the middle of their latest practice session. It was the day before Ash's eleventh birthday. Over the past year, Ash had been dedicated to preparing for his journey. Now he felt prepared and knowledgeable enough to begin his journey in a week.

Treecko used its Iron Tail attack on the small boulder and it immediately cracked. Ash had spent the last month perfecting some more of Treecko's moves. Treecko now knew Double Kick, Crush Claw, Iron Tail, and Bullet Seed.

Ash was excited for his birthday tomorrow. Professor Oak had told Ash that he had a surprise for him for being such a great assistant. Ash was looking forward to it, brainstorming the various possibilities as to what it could be.

Over the past year, Ash had studied the various types of Pokémon in the world. He also had learned as much as he could about the moves and abilities of the different Pokémon. He got firsthand experience with the Pokémon Professor Oak kept at the Oak Corral, feeding and interacting with them. While Ash wanted to have Pokémon of every type, he felt that he had an affinity towards certain types. Ash figured that this affinity was due to what Pokémon got along with him best and also because his first Pokémon was Grass type, which was one of the types that Ash had a liking for. Whatever type or types he ended up specializing in, Ash just had one goal, to be the greatest.

* * *

_The next day, Ash's birthday_

Ash woke up to the sounds of Pidgey from his Voltorb shaped alarm clock.

_Coo, coo! Coo, coo! _Groaning, Ash pushed down his alarm to turn it off. Rays of sunshine filtered through the openings of the curtains covering his window. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Ash slowly got up, yawning and stretching his limbs. Opening the curtains of his window, Ash fondly looked outside. His house was closer to the edge of Pallet Town, and from his window he could see Oak Laboratory. Ash turned around and went to his calendar. He crossed off another day until he got to start his journey.

Suddenly, Ash realized something he had forgotten due to his tired state. "It's my birthday!" Ash bolted down the stairs, two at a time before running into the living room. He heard pots and pans moving in the kitchen and ran towards the noise. Walking into the kitchen he found his mom rather busy, cooking his traditional birthday breakfast.

Upon noticing Ash, Delia turned around with a smile on her face. "Happy Birthday Ash!"

"Thanks Mom!" Ash exclaimed back. He immediately jumped to the kitchen counter where Delia had spread out and extravagant breakfast. Ash promptly started devouring the food, making his way through dish after dish.

Delia sighed, "You would think after all this time your table manners would have improved."

Ash replied with food in his mouth, "Soffy mom, I ust cannt elp it." The amount of food greatly obscured what he was trying to say, but Delia had years of experience deciphering her son's food talk and understood him.

Shaking her head and smiling Delia, went upstairs to get Ash's birthday present from her room. She brought a wrapped present back downstairs. By the time she got to the kitchen, Ash had finished the majority of the breakfast and was taking a small break to breath in some air.

"Here Ash, your present, I hope you like it."

"Thanks, mom." Ash unwrapped the present. It was an incubator and inside was Pokémon egg. "Wow mom, where'd you get this egg?"

Delia replied, "I actually got this Pokémon egg from an old friend of mine. He is a very skilled trainer. I told him about your interest in Flying type Pokémon, and he said while specializing is good, it is still important to have a variety of Pokémon. Incidentally, the final evolution of this Pokémon is part flying type. I think I'll let it be surprise. Of course, this egg will likely take much longer to hatch than Treecko did, but I think it will be worth the wait."

Ash thanked his mom, overjoyed with such a special gift. "Well mom, I think I should head over to Professor Oak's lab he said he has to give me something today."

Ash went up to his room to take a shower and get ready for the day. On his way out of his house, Delia called out to him, "Ash I think I'll tag along with you, I actually have to ask Professor Oak for a favor."

Ash and Delia walked to Professor Oak's research facility and proceeded through the gate and up the steps towards the front door. Upon reaching it, Ash noticed that it was slightly ajar. He also realized that it was quiet around Oak's large house, almost eerily so. Typically there was at least some kind of noise occurring, but today that wasn't the case. They walked through the front door and made their way to the lounge, thinking Professor Oak might be relaxing there. Upon walking into the room, deafening noise reached Ash's ears.

"Surprise!" Many yells and screams filled the room. Confetti went up in the air. Ash was stunned. All of his friends had shown up. Delia smiled, seeing the excitement and happiness on Ash's face. Basically all of the children of Pallet Town were in the room. Professor Oak made his way through the crowd.

"Happy Birthday Ash! Eleven already, but you are even more excited for your journey, eh?" Professor Oak jovially shook Ash's hand. He then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "I have a special present for you, but I think we should wait until all the other kids are gone so they don't get jealous okay?"

Ash happily nodded his head signaling that that was fine. All of Ash's friends clamored around him to wish a happy birthday. There was Gary, his longtime rival and friend. There was also Ritchie, a boy who had moved from Frodomar City a while ago and would also start his journey in a week. Leaf, was a good friend of Ash and Ritchie and she too was starting her journey next week. There were also three other children starting their journey the next week. There was Jake, a boy who often made Gary look humble. There was Kelly, an outgoing and vivacious girl who loved fire Pokémon and had just moved to Pallet Town the previous month. Finally there was Amanda, a shy girl who was still unsure as to whether she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator or Battler. The rest of the children were all slightly younger and would start their journeys the following year.

The day was filled with games and fun. The children all went outside at one point and played with the Pokémon in the Oak Corral. Eventually as evening approached, everyone started heading home. Ash, however, remained at the lab so Professor Oak could give him his gift.

"Well, Ash I was originally trying to get you a Pokémon egg from another region. However, I was unable to acquire one in time. Coincidentally though, every Professor was just given a full set of every kind of Pokéball to study them. I've already studied every Pokéball in the past, so I figured this would make an excellent present for you. So here, in this is a pair of every kind of Pokéball. The only one not in the set is the Master Ball. There are even some in here that can only be made by the renowned Pokéball maker Kurt."

Ash was ecstatic with the gift. "Wow thanks Professor Oak!"

Professor Oak replied, "Well Ash, you have been a great help to me. I know you will do great on your journey. Now I know that you are starting with Treecko as your starter, but I have a problematic Pokémon that I caught as a seventh starter when Kelly moved in to town. Since, you just told me yesterday that you want to have Treecko as your official starter; I was wondering if you could take that Pokémon. I have a feeling he will respond better to you."

"Sure thing Professor, what Pokemon is it?" Ash questioned the Professor wondering what Pokemon could be causing such a problem that the Professor would want to give it away.

Professor Oak chuckled, "Why don't we let that be a surprise."

* * *

_One week later…_

_ Coo, coo! Coo, coo!_ Ash groaned as he slapped his alarm clock to turn it off. He had been up past midnight watching the televised match between Agatha and Bruno of the Elite 4. Bruno had put up a tough battle, but in the end Agatha had prevailed. Looking at the clock, Ash realized he had woken up an hour late. Yelping, Ash jumped out of bed and quickly ran to shower and get dressed. Finishing unbelievably fast, he ran downstairs and began scarfing down the breakfast his mother had made.

His mother had told him the previous night that she would go to the lab earlier to help Professor Oak get ready and setup for today. Putting on his shoes, Ash spotted the large backpack his mother had packed for him. Looking inside he saw that all the essentials he could possibly need were packed inside: change of clothes, folding tent, sleeping bag, food, Pokéchow, rope, a pocket knife, and various other survival tools.

Grabbing all his things, Ash jumped on his bike and pedaled as fast as he could to the Oak Lab. He had Treecko in the Luxury Ball attached to his magnetic Pokéball belt. As Ash pulled up to the lab, he steered his bike into the grass and jumped off, immediately breaking into a run up the stairs leading to the house. He burst through the front door. One of Professor Oak's new aides led Ash to the downstairs to the main lab.

As soon as he walked Professor Oak greeted him, "Ash I see you are here. Don't worry you aren't really late. I suppose everyone must have slept late last night. The only person who has received their Pokédex and Pokémon already is Gary, and that is because he slept here last night and insisted I wake him up first thing in the morning."

Ash caught his breath slowly. "Well Professor, I'm ready to start."

Delia walked into the lab pushing a cart with Pokédexes carefully arranged on it. "Well Ash, honey looks like you finally woke up."

Professor Oak guided Ash to the cart. "Okay Ash, you get to pick your Pokédex, I had a few different color ones made."

Ash selected a black and red Pokédex because it looked rather sleek.

"Okay Ash and here are your starting five Pokéballs. Now bring your Pokédex to this computer so I can register you as a trainer and identify this Pokédex as your own." Professor Oak handed Ash the Pokéballs. Ash placed the Pokéballs inside of his backpack and walked over to the computer and inserted his Pokédex into the slot that Professor Oak indicated towards.

Professor Oak quickly typed in Ash's information onto the computer. "Okay Ash, now place Treecko's Pokéball onto the pad right there."

Ash placed the Luxury Ball containing Treecko onto the pad. It was normally used for transporting, but it could also be used to scan a single Pokémon at a time. A beam of red light shot out from above the pad, scanning the Pokéball. Ash heard some beeps coming from the computer as Treecko was registered to him. Ash took the Pokéball and reattached it to his belt.

Professor Oak then addressed Ash, "Alright Ash, now I will scan this Pokémon since I am technically give him to you as a second starter." Professor Oak repeated the process with a Pokéball that seemed completely ordinary except for the small yellow lightning bolt on the red section of the Pokéball. He handed the Pokeball to Ash, who attached it to his belt.

Ash's Pokédex was ejected from the computer, and Professor Oak handed it to him. Ash turned his Pokédex on and pressed the ID button.

A robotic voice began speaking from the Pokédex, "_I am Dexter. I am the Pokédex given to Trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town by Professor Oak."_ On the Pokédex screen Ash could see all of his information: Age, Hometown, Birthday, Pokémon, Gym Badge, Money, and Rank. There were further tabs with more information, but Ash decided he would figure that out later. Ash placed the Pokédex into his pocket, figuring he would scan Treecko and the other Pokémon when he left.

After packing his newly received items away, Ash looked up to face Professor Oak and his mother. "Well Professor Oak, mom, I guess I'll be heading out now."

Ash felt all the air get knocked out of him as his mother rushed forward and embraced him in a hug that made him feel like his ribs were about to get crushed. "Oh Ash, I'll miss you so much! Now, remember young man, don't forget to change your underwear every day. Also, make sure you and your Pokémon look out for each other."

"Okay mom." Ash grumbled, rather embarrassed by his mom. Ash shook Professor Oak's hand, thanking him for all the help and guidance. He then walked out of the lab. Ash ran down the steps, excited to finally be starting his journey. As he approached the gate to leave the property, he met Kelly and Ritchie, both of whom were on their way to receive their Pokémon and Pokédexes.

"Hey Ritchie. Hey Kelly." Ash greeted them.

Kelly was nervous about whether she would get the Pokemon she wanted, and immediately replied, "Hi Ash. Does Professor Oak still have Charmander?"

Ash told them that he was unsure, and after quickly saying goodbye and making promises to see them at some point during their journey he left. Ash grabbed his bike and began pedaling away and out of Pallet Town. Upon reaching the border of Route 1, Ash stopped and looked back. With one last look at Pallet Town, he pedaled into Route 1, a smile on his face.

* * *

Ash pulled his bike to a stop near some trees and dismounted. He then grabbed his two Pokéballs from his belt and pressed the button on them, calling forth the Pokémon inside.

_Treecko! Pika!_ The two Pokemon emerged with their typical shouts. Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned Pikachu.

"_Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. It can generate electric attacks from the electric pouches located in both of its cheeks." _Ash then checked the moves that Pikachu knew how to use: Thundershock and Growl. However, under this there were a few moves listed as inherited moves. Ash knew this meant that Pikachu had inherited the ability to learn these moves but still needed to practice them. These moves were Fake Out, Reversal, and Volt Tackle.

Ash looked at the Pikachu happily knowing that it could become very skilled. He then greeted the Pikachu, "Hi Pikachu, I'm your trainer. My name is Ash."

_Pika. _The Pikachu had a bored look on his face and let out a small shock, zapping Ash.

_Treecko!_ Treecko immediately jumped to his friend's defense, giving Pikachu a stern look.

Ash got up, rather dazed and asked Pikachu, "What's wrong Pikachu, you don't want me to be your trainer?" Pikachu had a haughty look on his face and looked away. Ash then realized what was going on. Professor Oak had told him that sometimes Pokémon don't think their trainers are worthy of them. He thought that this must be the case.

Sighing he knew that he would have to prove to Pikachu that he was a worthy trainer. He then came up with an idea. "Okay Pikachu, how about this, I prove that I am worthy to be your trainer by battling you with Treecko?"

Pikachu continued to have a bored expression on his face, but after a moment of thought nodded and gave a small _Pika. _Pikachu backed a fair distance from Ash and Treecko and got on all four legs into a fighting stance.

Ash decided to start with the first move and commanded, "Treecko, start things off with a Bullet Seed attack."

_Treecko!_ The green Pokémon immediately launched into action and began shooting green seeds of energy towards Pikachu. The yellow mouse Pokémon promptly jumped out of the way, with speed easily matching Treecko. Treecko began chasing after Pikachu, continually shooting the green seeds of energy, but to no avail, as Pikachu kept dodging the attack.

Ash decided to change tactics and have Treecko go in for a close up attack. "Treecko, go in close and use Crush Claw." He figured that if Crush Claw hit then it would lower Pikachu's defensive power and he would be able to inflict more damage with a follow-up attack.

Treecko ran towards Pikachu, glowing white claws protruding from his normally green hands. Treecko swiped at Pikachu, but yet again the mouse Pokémon avoided the attack.

Ash then realized a major flaw in the way he had trained with Treecko. While, he had helped Treecko learn plenty of techniques, the pair had no experience trying to hit moving targets. Thus, Treecko had been unable to hit Pikachu, who clearly had experience, at least more than he and Treecko did.

Pikachu finally decided to retaliate with a spark of yellow electricity, thoroughly zapping Treecko. Though electric attacks normally didn't do much damage Grass types due to the thorough lack of conductive substances in their bodies, it was the first time Treecko had ever taken an attack. Therefore, Treecko was rather shaken up.

Ash realized that the only option he had was to strategize a plan that Pikachu couldn't outmaneuver. He eyed the surroundings and noticed a lone tree a small distance from where Pikachu was. Calling out to Treecko he yelled, "Treecko use Bullet Seed to cut off Pikachu from dodging to your right."

Treecko immediately repeated the attack from earlier. It forced Pikachu to start dodging towards the tree on Treecko's left side. Pikachu dodged and was soon backed into the tree. Treecko had Pikachu cornered.

"Treecko, use Double Kick," Ash commanded. Treecko's jumped towards Pikachu and kicked out with one leg, forcing Pikachu to jump upwards and towards a tree branch. Treecko used the momentum from the first kick landing to jump towards Pikachu and kicked with his other leg. Because Pikachu was in the air, he was unable to jump away. Pikachu began trying to use his own momentum to spin out of the way. However, Pikachu collided with a tree branch because of his vertical jump. This allowed Treecko's kick to connect with Pikachu's torso, trapping him against the tree branch. Screeching out from the pain, Pikachu released a powerful Thundershock attack.

Ash realized that Treecko would get shocked and cleverly instructed Treecko. "Treecko, push off of Pikachu to spin downwards and avoid the Thundershock."

Treecko did as instructed and was able to avoid the brunt of the attack, only getting touched by a few small sparks. Treecko landed and shook of the attack. Pikachu then fell right in front of Treecko, dazed from getting hit by the branch and Treecko's attack and then subsequently hitting the ground hard.

Ash smiled triumphantly knowing that Pikachu could be outsmarted. However, before the battle could continue, Ash heard cawing sounds coming from the tree that Pikachu had just zapped.

From the tree, several angry Spearow emerged, and as they kept cawing, more Spearow from the area began flying towards them and joining them.

_ Spearow! Spearow!_ The angry cries of the flock of Spearow filled the air. Ash was filled with dread. He knew Spearow could become very vicious when enraged. He ran towards Pikachu and Treecko and scooped both of them up with one under each hand. He placed both of them in the basket of his bike and immediately began pedaling away.

The flock of Spearow flew after him in pursuit. Ash glanced back and noticed they were just a few feet away and began pedaling even faster, then adrenaline pumping through him. The trees stopped and Ash reached a river. The path was stony and the river was about ten feet below it. Ash kept pedaling and noticed a sloped rock jutting upwards. He realized that he if gained enough speed before he got to that rock he could use it as a ramp to get to the other side of the river. Turning his hat backwards on his head, his signature move when he was determined, Ash began pedaling even faster. He got closer and closer to the rock and his feet began starting to feel like lead. He rode up the sloped rock and he shot through the air on his bike, arcing over the river.

On the other side of the river, he noticed a reddish orange haired girl tugging on a fishing line. He landed about twelve feet to her left on the back. The wheels of his bike thudded against the stony banks and he felt the jolt from landing go through him. Treecko and Pikachu bounced in the basket uncomfortably. Ash shook it off and began pedaling again, trying to put as much distance between the flock and Pikachu who was the clear target off the flock for zapping some of them.

Ash biked down the path. Signs began appearing indicating that Viridian City was a few miles down the path. However, try as he might the Spearow were still on his tail. Thunder boomed overhead and it soon began raining. Suddenly, three of the Spearow flashed forward with streaks of white being left behind them. They collided with Ash's back. They then began repeatedly pecking Ash. The result was that Ash lost his balance on the bike. The bike toppled with Ash falling off and Treecko and Pikachu being thrown unceremoniously out of the basket.

Shakily picking himself up, Ash stepped towards the flock of Spearow and spread his arms. "Stop, it was just an accident. No one is hurt just let it go." In response, a Spearow flew toward him and pecked him on the head a few times before Ash could swat it away. By this point Treecko stood up and helped Pikachu up. Treecko ran up and stood next to Ash, while Pikachu stubbornly stayed back.

Ash now frustrated yelled again. "You may try to hurt me, but I won't let you hurt my Pokémon! I am Ash Ketchum, and one day I will be a Pokémon Master! I will defeat and capture every last one of you! I will become the greatest Pokémon trainer ever. You hear me! You can't beat me. And I certainly won't let you get my Pokémon!"

The flock of Spearow all simultaneously began speeding towards Ash. Pikachu ran up and used Ash's head to boost itself upwards and towards the flock. Suddenly, a flash of lightening occurred. A jagged bolt of lightning struck Pikachu, who released a powerful electric attack. Bolts of electricity and lightning flew everywhere. Ash and Treecko ducked to avoid getting hit, but the flock of Spearow was not as fortunate. Every last bird was thoroughly zapped and singed. In a huge explosion, Ash and Treecko were thrown backwards. Pikachu was also knocked away, bouncing off the ground and right onto Ash's chest.

* * *

A few hours later, Ash came to. Rays of sunlight were filtering through the clouds which were slowly moving away. He woke up Treecko and Pikachu. He noticed Pikachu was agreeable now, despite being rather damaged. He looked up towards the sky. Emerged from one of the clouds a large and majestic bird Pokémon emerged. It was shimmering and golden in color, yet at the same time Ash could see a rainbow of colors shining from it. He quickly pulled out his Pokédex to try and see what Pokémon it was, but the bird Pokémon was not in range. Thinking quickly Ash used the camera feature of his Pokédex and snapped a picture of the Pokémon. It soon disappeared from view.

Ash then looked around for his bike and saw the charred remains smoldering a few yards away.

_Pika…_ Pikachu mumbled an apology.

Ash smiled and picked up Pikachu. "It's okay Pikachu, you saved us and that's all that matters." Treecko climbed up onto Ash's shoulder and Ash placed Pikachu onto his other shoulder. Now happily getting along, the trio began heading towards Viridian City, looking forward to the next step of the journey.

**AN: Thanks to all the reviewers, especially to Oh I am Slain, who offered a wealth of suggestions for my story. Also, I am putting up a poll since I have been unable to really decide myself. Who should join Ash on his journey? I put up a poll on my profile, please go vote. **

**Also, as to the other Pallet Town trainers: Gary and Ritchie will be similar to how they were in the anime. I had Ritchie moved to Pallet Town so that he could be introduced earlier. I feel the story would be more interesting with Ash having more rivals and friends that he frequently meets on his journey. Leaf is basically the female player character from FireRed and LeafGreen. Kelly and Amanda are OC's because honestly what town has only 2 kids of a particular age. I figured 7 kids starting their journey all around the same age would be more interesting. **


	4. Chapter 4 Confrontations

**AN: Been out of town all of last week. Sorry for the delay. This chapter is much longer than my previous ones. Read and review please. **

Chapter 4 Confrontations

As he walked towards Viridian City, Ash checked all his belongings to make sure they weren't damaged from his fall. Luckily his Pokémon egg and incubator were kept safe inside his backpack. There didn't seem to be any lasting damage from the flock of Spearow, although Pikachu was exhausted and needed to go to a Pokémon Center soon. However, while Pikachu was now getting along with Ash, he still stubbornly refused to go inside his Pokéball. Ash just assumed that Pikachu didn't like his Pokéball and let Pikachu remain on his shoulder.

After about thirty minutes of walking, Ash finally reached the outskirts of Viridian City. Normally it would have taken longer, but Ash had reached faster due to the shortcut he had taken by ramping over the river. It hadn't even been a full day; in fact evening was just approaching.

As Ash walked, he was suddenly stopped by a lady in a blue police uniform with greenish hair. She was the chief police Officer of Viridian City. Jenny was actually the surname of a large family that specialized in police work. They had even established a school with campuses across the world dedicated to training their families and others for police work. Typically, Officer Jenny would be the chief officer of the town or city they worked in, but there were exceptions.

"Halt young man. What is your business here and why are those two Pokémon not inside Pokéballs?"

To her questioning Ash replied, "I'm here to go to the Pokémon center. My two Pokémon are exhausted and just need to be treated. As to why they are out of their Pokéballs, well thus just don't like being inside them. Maybe this should clear up any confusion."

Ash took his Pokédex out of his bag and turning it on pressed the ID button and showed her the screen. As the mechanical voice gave its usual introduction, Officer Jenny's expressions softened. "Well young man, you seem to be in order. I'm just on the lookout for any suspicious criminals. Here, your Pikachu needs to get to the center as quickly as possible. I'll have my cadet give you a ride there."

Ash hopped into the sidecar of the motorcycle that her cadet pulled up in after being called over the phone. Ash thanked Officer Jenny, and the cadet zoomed off towards the Pokémon Center.

Ash only needed to wait a little less than an hour for Nurse Joy to finish examining Pikachu and Treecko. The pink haired Nurse followed a large pink egg-shaped Pokémon. The Chansey happily pushed a correct with Pikachu and Treecko on it. Upon seeing him, both Pokémon jumped off the cart and scurried towards Ash.

Ash asked Nurse Joy if he could have a room for the night. Trainers were provided low cost lodging at almost all Pokémon Centers. Some of the larger ones even rented out small rooms or large community rooms for free, while better accommodations were charged for. Luckily, the Viridian City Pokémon Center gave out small two person rooms for no cost. Nurse Joy handed Ash the key to a room that was currently unoccupied, and Ash headed towards the room and dropped of all of his belongings. He then took a shower since he was all battered up from the events earlier in the day. Ash then headed back to his room to pick up Treecko and Pikachu who had been resting and decided to go to the common area. The common area was near the area where the front desk was, and had video phones, televisions, and other electronics and entertainment for use by Pokémon trainers who were staying at the Center. Currently it was empty and Ash figured that most of the other trainers must have either gone out for dinner, since the Viridian City Pokémon Center's cafeteria was currently under renovation. Preferring his mother's cooking, Ash had already eaten the food she had packed him and gave some Pokéchow to his two partners.

Plopping down on a coach, Ash began flipping through the channels on the television, looking to see if there was a live battle going on anywhere. Little did Ash know, that at that very moment, three terrible figures were about to execute their sinister plot in the Pokémon Center.

* * *

Jessie, James, and Meowth were three of Team Rocket's lower ranking agents. They had relative success in stealing Pokémon when they had first started, but for some reason their skill had already declined, just a year after joining the evil organization. But, they thought that they were about to have a big score. In the cafeteria, the three agents were going over their plan that had already begun.

"Okay, so this is how the plan is coming along so far. One, we gained access inside the Pokémon center under the pretense that we're workers renovating the cafeteria. Two, in exactly thirty minutes, we shut off the communications of this Pokémon Center. We then pretend we need to use the maintenance room as an excuse to go the Pokémon healing and storage area. Three, we steal the Pokémon that have been healed and have yet to be picked up. Finally, four, we deliver them to the boss. It's going perfectly," reviewed Jessie, the redhead women.

"Once this plan works, I'm gonna be the top cat 'round Team Rocket. That'll teach that stinkin' Poisian," stated Meowth. He was a Pokémon that had learned how to talk out loud just like a normal human. He also desperately hated his evolved form, Persian.

"Oh Meowth, why must you always complain about that? The boss favors Persian, get over it," said the blue haired man, James, in a rather bored tone. "Well, let's get on with it then."

The trio resumed their plan and went to cut off the Pokémon Center from communicating with the rest of the city.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

The front door to the Pokémon Center opened, and a reddish orange haired girl walked in. She walked to the front desk where Nurse Joy welcomed her.

"Hi Misty, any luck catching more water Pokémon? I'm guessing you need your Pokémon healed," greeted Nurse Joy.

Misty replied, "Yes Nurse Joy thanks. And no, I haven't had any luck catching water Pokémon. I've only got Pokémon I already have to bite. Although I had one really large Pokémon on my rod today, but while I was reeling it in, a boy flew over the river on a bike and I got distracted. He just came out of nowhere, took me completely by surprise. Not to mention that after he did that, an entire flock of Spearow went chasing after him."

Ash hearing this turned away from the TV and looked towards the front desk. There, he recognized the girl who had been fishing at the river. The girl having handed Nurse Joy her Pokéballs walked over to the lounge area that Ash was sitting in. Upon seeing his face she scanned it for a second before recognition dawned on her face.

"Hey," she said, "you're that kid who vaulted over the river on a bike."

"Yeah," Ash mumbled, "that was me."

Misty instantly blew up. "YOU KNOW THAT YOU COST ME THE ONLY GOOD POKEMON I WAS ABOUT TO REEL IN ALL DAY. IT WAS A HUGE BITE, PROBABLY A FULLY EVOLVED POKEMON!"

Ash answered back defensively, "Hey, it's not my fault you were surprised so easily. Maybe you should have been more focused on fishing and then you wouldn't have been surprised by me and the flock of Spearow that was chasing after me!"

Ash could see rage sparking in Misty's eyes but then all of a sudden it faded. "Eh, whatever," she said. "Did you manage to escape the flock?"

Ash told her the story of what happened. By the end of it, her gazed had softened after hearing about what he did and how Pikachu got injured. Misty then held out her hand, "I'm Misty by the way. I'm from Cerulean City."

Ash shook her hand. "I'm Ash from Pallet Town. You're a good deal away from home. Are you going to challenge the Pokémon League, too?"

Misty replied, "No, I'm travelling to try and catch some more water Pokémon. I want to be a great water Pokémon trainer. Right now I only have three of my own Pokémon."

Ash caught on to something strange. "Wait, what do you mean your own Pokémon? Why do you have Pokémon that wouldn't be yours? Are you a thief?" Ash questioned her, apprehensive at the thought that she might be a Pokémon thief like the suspicious criminal Officer Jenny had been looking for.

As Ash said this Misty thought to herself, 'Damn. I worded that wrong. Now he is all suspicious. And I am _not_ a criminal.' She was rather indignant at that last accusation. She loved Pokémon she would never steal them. Misty realized that she might as well come clean. "The truth is I'm from the Cerulean Gym. My sisters and I are the Gym Leaders, but we got into an argument and I said I would return with my own Pokémon after becoming a great water Pokémon trainer. They use Gym Pokémon, which aren't as strong so not to discourage challengers. Of course, they have a few of their own Pokémon, but I'll stronger than them soon enough!"

Ash nodded, happy that she wasn't a thief. The two talked amicably, passing the time and getting to know each other. Ash soon realized that Misty was rather temperamental, as she would quickly get angry about certain things and then calm down right afterwards. He gathered this from when she was angry at him for his stunt over the river that made her lose her catch.

* * *

Jessie, James, and Meowth were finally ready to execute their plan. They had already cut off the communications and were near the maintenance room. The trio diverted their course and went to the Pokéball storage area. However, they soon ran into something they hadn't accounted for in their plans.

"Darn it, a security lock. I didn't they would have such high tech security in Pokémon Center," Jessie hissed in frustration.

"Don't worry 'bout. Meowth 's on it," stated the cat Pokémon. He protracted his retractable claws and immediately rushed forward to try and pick the security lock. He clawed off the front panel and began using a single claw to manipulate the wires and electronics inside. Suddenly, there was a small beep and the lock on the door disengaged, allowing the door to slide open. The trio gave small "hurrahs" and ran into the storage area. Inside was a thief's heaven, rows and rows of Pokéball racks filled from top to bottom. Many trainers had dropped their Pokémon off for the night to get healed, and Team Rocket was ready to take advantage of that.

Jessie, James, and Meowth started cheering and chanting, "We're gonna steal the Pokéballs, we're gonna steal the Pokéballs." They opened up two large bags and started hoarding the Pokéballs into the bags. However, in their excitement they had made one mistake, and this proved to be costly. Nurse Joy and her Chansey were walking by the storage area on their way to the front desk and saw the trio of thieves through the open door to the storage area, which hadn't locked due to Meowth breaking the security lock.

"Hey," Nurse Joy exclaimed, "you three thieves better stop right now and put those Pokéballs down."

Jessie snorted. "As if we'll do that, Ekans go!" The redheaded Rocket agent released the purplish snake from her Pokéball.

_Ekans!_ The Pokémon hissed, readying itself for battle.

"Ekans use Poison Sting!" The Pokémon shot sharp purple needles of poison towards the Nurse. Her brave Chansey jumped in the way and took the full force of the attack. "Keep using Poison Sting Ekans!" The snake Pokémon continued with a relentless stream of purple needles. Yet, the Chansey stood protecting Nurse Joy with its own body.

"Help! Help!" Nurse Joy began calling for help, desperate for someone to save Chansey. Nurse Joy didn't really know what else to do. Chansey had never been trained to do battle before, and she herself was relatively inexperienced in battling.

Deciding they should split before anyone came to the rescue, James sent out his Pokémon. "Koffing let's go!" The purple, gaseous spherical Pokémon emerged from the Pokéball. James commanded it, "Use smokescreen!" The Pokémon opened its mouth and released thick black smoke towards the hallway. Team Rocket used this cover to escape from the storage area and began making their way towards the front area to escape.

While running, James asked, "Meowth where did you set up the escape balloon?"

The cat responded, "I set it up roight next to the side of the Pokeymon Centah."

However, just as they made into the front area of the Pokémon Center, they were stopped by Ash and Misty. "Hey you crooks drop the Pokéballs now," Ash yelled attempting to sound brave.

Team Rocket paused and stared at him, dumbfounded. Then a second later they burst out laughing.

"Ha, that's rich. Like we would listen to a little twerp like you? My Ekans will eat you like a mouse," Jessie said, barely able to get the words out due to laughter.

"Please, Ash and I will defeat you idiot easily," Misty retorted, holding out her Pokéball ready to battle.

Ash stepped in front of her. "Misty, I want to battle them alone, I have two Pokémon as well, so it will be a double battle."

The trio of thieves continued laughing, now hearing Ash's request to battle them alone.

Misty, too, was shocked at this. Turning she hissed at Ash, trying to prevent Team Rocket from hearing. "Ash have you ever even battled before, you just started your journey today. This is crazy they are actual thieves."

Ash confidently replied, "There's a first time for everything. Pikachu, Treecko it's time to battle!"

The electric type Mouse and the grass type Wood Gecko Pokémon both jumped forward in front of Ash, ready to confront the two Poison type Pokémon.

Jessie and James now realizing that Ash was serious about battling them sighed in boredom. Jessie lazily said, "Well, if you are that insistent about losing to us, who are we to object? Ekans use Poison Sting on that stupid green gecko!"

The snake shot the poisonous purple needles at Treecko. Knowing what to do from his battle earlier with Pikachu, Treecko jumped out of the way avoiding the needles. Unfortunately, the needles bounced of the tiled floor of the Pokémon Center and hit Treecko in the back, something Ash hadn't accounted for. Treecko was bent over in pain, groaning from the super effective attack. Ash remembered that Poison attacks were highly effective against Grass type Pokémon. 'Something about the makeup of Grass type Pokémon's bodies being vulnerable to the poison,' Ash thought.

Ash realized that Treecko was at a disadvantage, as he was vulnerable to Poison type attacks and was already damaged. "Pikachu use Thundershock on Ekans." The purple snake dodged the attack, escaping unfazed. "Pikachu keep using Thundershock." The Mouse Pokémon kept streams of electricity.

James now decided he should come in to the battle. "Koffing, use Tackle attack."

Jessie had enough of her Ekans dodging and commanded, "Use Bite on that Pikachu."

The two Poison type Pokémon rushed towards their opponents. Ash's mind immediately went into overdrive, trying to think of a way to counter. "Treecko, use Iron Tail on Ekans." Pikachu being the more experienced battler, took the cue and switched his Thundershock attack towards Koffing. The attack succeeded and the spherical Pokémon was thoroughly zapped. Treecko ran quickly towards the snake Pokémon and with his tail glowing bright silver, swung his tail towards the bottom of Ekans's mouth, making contact. Ash yelped victoriously, glad that his idea worked. He yelled out again, "Repeat your attacks."

Pikachu's Thundershock had fazed Koffing, and thus the electric type Pokémon was able to once again zap Koffing.

"Ekans use wrap to grab that Treecko," Jessie yelled in command. The purple snake immediately wrapped its tail around Treecko. The Grass type Pokémon struggled against the snake's strong tail, trying to push out of its grasp.

"Treecko use Bullet Seed to escape," Ash commanded. Treecko tried shooting his attack, but was unable to because of the pain from being so tightly constricted by Ekans. Eventually, he was able to shoot a few small green seeds of energy, but it was only enough to let Treecko wriggle a little further up, freeing his arms but still leaving his hands trapped.

Ash struggled to figure out what to do. Pikachu had managed to paralyze Koffing, but the worry right now was Treecko, who was still taking damage from Ekans.

"Ekans use Poison Sting on that Pikachu," Jessie instructed. The snake shot more poisonous needles towards the Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu used his Thundershock to counter them, cancelling the needles in a small explosion.

Ash took this momentary distraction to look closely at Treecko and Ekans. Suddenly, Ash realized something. Ekans was constricting Treecko, who had wriggled free completely except for his hands and his tail, which was _still _glowing _silver. _'Iron Tail!' Ash exclaimed in his mind. Thinking through Ash came to the conclusion, 'That's just so crazy it might work!'

"Treecko bring your tail into full contact with the ground! Pikachu use Thundershock on Ekans!"

The Mouse Pokémon released electricity from his cheeks in a large stream. Ekans was unable to dodge this time around, due to being burdened by Treecko. The snake Pokémon took the full force of the attack, traveled across its body and connected with Treecko's tail, which was that part touching Ekans. The electricity reacted with the Iron Tail as if it were a lightning rod and immediately travelled into the ground. Ekans was still damaged and thus released Treecko from its hold. Treecko crawled away, trying to shake off the damage he had taken. He shakily stood next Pikachu.

Ash now was ready to take advantage of his use of tactics. Treecko had taken heavy damage, but Ash was still confident that Pikachu and Treecko could win. Ekans had been blasted away by the Thundershock, and now stood next to the paralyzed Koffing. "Treecko use Bullet Seed, Pikachu use Thundershock, MAX POWER!" The two Pokémon released their respective attacks toward Ekans and Koffing. Green bullets of energy flew towards the Poison types enveloped in yellow electricity from Pikachu. The combined attack collided with Koffing and Ekans. Ekans was completely knocked out, while Koffing was still barely hanging on to consciousness.

Jessie called back Ekans to its Pokéball. James ran forward and grabbed Koffing in his arms. Sirens could be heard from outside, and Team Rocket realized that they were about get caught. They dropped the bags of Pokéballs and ran out of the front door. Ash and Misty chased after them. The trio saw a bike parked outside and Jessie climbed onto the seat, with Meowth on the handlebars and James standing on the pegs of the back wheels while clutching Koffing.

Misty yelled out enraged, "HEY THAT'S MY BIKE!"

The trio biked towards the side of the center, with police now chasing after them just when they were in sight of the escape balloon.

"Blast it, they are going to catch us," James exclaimed in frustration.

Meowth started freaking out. "James, you know what happens when you say that woird in front of Koffing!"

_Koffing! _The gaseous Pokémon began glowing red and an explosion soon ensued. The bike was blasted into pieces and the thieves flew forward off the bike and bounced into the gondola of the hot air balloon.

Misty froze, "N-n-no….nooooo, Koffing's Selfdestruct destroyed my bike!" Misty cried out in disappointment, her beloved bike lying in pieces before her.

Still stunned, Meowth turned on the balloon which slowly started rising. The police had almost reached the balloon. Meowth pressed a subsequent button and suddenly rocket boosters on the side of the gondola ignited, accelerating the rocket far out of the police's reach. Meowth stood on the brim of the gondola and waved goodbye.

"We will be back you little twoips. And when we are, we'll steal all the Pokeymon we want!" Meowth yelled this out and continued waving. The police and Ash and Misty stood on the ground, helpless to stop them without any flying Pokémon.

Despite the trio of Rocket agents escaping, all the Pokéballs were saved, and Nurse Joy profusely thanked Ash and Misty for confronting the Rocket trio. She healed Pikachu and Treecko overnight and bid farewell to Ash the next day.

* * *

As Ash was leaving Viridian City, he looked forward to reaching the next route and Viridian Forest. Excitement coursed through him, as he anticipated the Pokémon he would meet and could catch there.

"Hey Ash!" Ash heard a voice calling him, and he turned around. Misty was running towards him.

"Hey Misty," Ash greeted her, "what's up?"

"Well, my bike was destroyed, so I'm walking. I wanted to know if you want to travel together, at least up to Cerulean City," Misty stated.

"You want to travel with me?"

Misty nodded the affirmative, her cheeks tinged slightly red at the question.

This went unnoticed by Ash. "Ok great," Ash said, "only thing is that it might take a while since I'll probably be stopping for training and a gym battle at Pewter City.

Misty smiled, glad that Ash agreed. "That's fine, it'll give me a chance to catch and train more water Pokémon."

The two, now travelling companions reached the outer edges of Viridian Forest after about thirty minutes. Walking through the trees, Ash noticed a small green caterpillar, with yellow rings on it. Ash recognized it as a Caterpie.

"That Caterpie will be my first capture," declared Ash.

Misty noticed where Ash was looking and let out a high pitched shriek of terror. "EEEEEEEEK! I CAN'T STAND BUG POKEMON!"

Ash, puzzled by this questioned her. "Why? There's nothing wrong with Bug Pokémon."

"They're gross and disgusting that's why!" Misty retorted.

Ash fell over laughing. "Ha, that's classic. Don't you think you are being a little silly?" Ash continued laughing and thus was too busy to see a vein throbbing in Misty's forehead. She pulled a mallet out of her bag and hit Ash over the top of his head with it.

Ash turned to face the Caterpie. It was slowly crawling along about ten feet away. "Pikachu, let's go. It's time to battle!"

Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and crouched on all fours in his battle stance. "Pikachu use Thundershock." Pikachu let loose a stream of yellow electricity which flew through the air and hit Caterpie directly. The Caterpie looked completely dazed, with small remnants of electricity still sparking through its body.

Figuring that Caterpie couldn't take anymore, Ash threw a Pokéball towards the Worm Pokémon. The Pokéball opened upon contact with Caterpie and in a flash of red light the Pokémon was absorbed into the Pokéball. The Pokéball landed on the ground and slowly rocked side to side three times, with a small beep each time. Finally, there was a soft "ding" sound.

Ash ran over to the Pokéball and picked it up. He turned to Misty and Pikachu and struck a pose, his feet planted firmly on the ground, Pokéball high in the air with his hat turned backwards.

"Yeah! I caught a Caterpie!" Ash then proceeded to jump around in circles for a few minutes chanting, "My very first capture, my very first capture."

Misty just sighed and called out his name a few times. Finally tiring of the cheering and jumping, Misty yet again pulled out her mallet, and as Ash passed by her she hit him over the head. Falling to the ground dazed, Ash dizzily questioned, "That was a little extreme, dontcha think?"

Ash excitedly got up and opened his Pokéball, revealing his new Pokémon.

_Pie!_ The bug type Pokémon cooed. The Pokémon crawled towards Ash leg with surprising speed and rested on his hat. Ash pulled out his Pokédex and proceeded to scan Caterpie.

"_Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls. This Caterpie is a male." _Ash checked the move Caterpie was capable of using and learning. Caterpie knew Tackle and String Shot, and was capable of learning Bug Bite. Ash figured that since Caterpie had a limited move set, it would be better to at least teach him all the moves he was able to learn. Ash selected Bug Bite to look at what info the Pokédex had on the move. He nodded, the move looked simple enough to teach; it was just a mere bite from a bug Pokémon as the name said.

"I guess it's training time. Misty, you want to train too?"

Misty shook her head. "No, I'm going to go look for some water Pokémon, there's probably a lake or a river here where I could find some."

Misty left and Ash began to train Treecko, Pikachu, and Caterpie. "Okay, Pikachu the first gym is a Rock type gym. That puts you at a disadvantage since Electric type moves aren't very effective against Rock types. So I want to teach you Iron Tail. Treecko already knows it so he can show you how it should look. Treecko use Iron Tail on that rock." Ash pointed to a medium sized rock. Treecko ran forward and jumped and turned his tail through the air. The tail began to glow silver, and upon contact with the rock, cracked it in two.

"So first we can start by strengthening your tail. That is how I taught Treecko." Ash grabbed string from his backpack and tied a small round rock to Pikachu's tail. "Now I want you to start raising and lowering your tail. I'll join you in a bit." Pikachu proceeded to do "tail-ups" with the rock attached to his tail.

"Now Treecko, I want you to learn Leech Seed. According to the Pokédex it's a move that you inherited the ability to learn. You have to focus energy just like with Bullet Seed, but you throw it. Then it should latch on to the opponent and absorb their energy and transfer it to you. It will probably take a while to figure that one out." Treecko nodded and began trying to figure out what method the attack should be executed in.

Ash now moved onto Caterpie. "Alright, Caterpie we're gonna work on your attacks and your speed. So first let's figure out Bug Bite. I think you should just try focusing some energy then biting into things." Caterpie looked determined and began focusing on trying to bite stuff.

Ash removed his jacket and began to do pushups while Pikachu did tail-ups. He believed that if he trained alongside his Pokémon, they would be more motivated. This was something that Professor Oak told him many elite trainers often did, and Ash figured that to be the best you had train like the best.

After about an hour of training, Caterpie had Bug Bite down perfectly. Ash hadn't expected it to take much longer, since Bug Bite was a rather simple move. Pikachu had strengthened his tail to the point that he was ready to begin trying to use and perfect Iron Tail. Treecko meanwhile had figured out how to form the seeds for Leech Seed, and was now trying to figure out how to launch the attack and make it absorb energy.

Ash had Treecko and Pikachu continue to the next step of their training. Meanwhile, he opted to work with Caterpie on his speed and maneuverability. "Okay Caterpie, your movement is limited so here is my idea. I want you to practice shooting String Shot and then reeling it back in. That way you can use your String Shot attack to swing around. So just try shooting your String Shot to that tree branch and then swinging to it."

Caterpie cooed and then shot a solid white thread towards the indicated tree branch. The string connected and then Caterpie reeling in the string from his mouth, pulling his body towards the branch. It was slow going, as Caterpie couldn't reel himself in fast enough for the technique to be useful. He would be a sitting duck reeling in so slow.

Ash figured that practice would make perfect. "Caterpie, let's first practice getting you to launch your String Shot quickly and accurately." He first had Caterpie shoot threads of String Shot as fast as possible. After achieving a reasonable speed Ash then began throwing rocks into the air and had Caterpie shoot them with String Shot. It took another three fourths of an hour, but Caterpie managed to start hitting the rocks quickly and accurately.

"Okay now shoot that base of that tree and practice reeling yourself in as fast as possible." Ash walked to where Pikachu was practicing Iron Tail, noticing the mouse Pokémon struggling with the technique. Ash observed and after about three views recognized the issue, as he had encountered the same problem with Treecko.

"Pikachu, you aren't getting enough energy in your tail before you hit because you aren't giving yourself enough time. Start running faster so that your jump will be higher. That will give you enough to spin your tail and flip. The momentum should give you enough energy to pull off that attack correctly."

Pikachu tried Ash's suggestions and began running much faster. The Electric type then jumped, reaching a far greater height than before. The mouse Pokémon then began spinning rapidly downwards while gathering energy in his tail. Pikachu was able to pull off the move much better than before, creating some cracks in the practice boulder. Ash nodded; satisfied that Pikachu would soon reach a satisfactory level with Iron Tail, and in just one day.

Treecko meanwhile had perfected Leech Seed. Ash saw several bushes and rocks covered in glowing reddish green vines from the Leech Seed attack. Ash grinned happy that Treecko was able to learn the attack so well.

Overall, Ash was thoroughly pleased with his Pokémon; they had all learned a new attack a piece. For the last hour of training they all worked on endurance and conditioning, with Ash training alongside them. It was a happy heart that after four hours of training Ash concluded his training and headed back towards Viridian City. Misty had joined up with him in the forest just an hour before, smiling rather happily.

* * *

It was just after noon when Ash and Misty left Viridian Forest, and they reached the city at one o'clock. Ash and Misty both gave Nurse Joy their Pokémon to have them healed. Nurse Joy greeted them happily; she was grateful for the help they had given in saving the Pokémon last night.

Ash and Misty ate a good lunch and decided to head through Viridian Forest in its entirety this time. Just as they were leaving they ran into Kelly, Amanda, and Ritchie.

Kelly greeted Ash enthusiastically, "Hey Ash! When did you reach Viridian City?"

"I got here last night," Ash replied. "I'm about to leave for Pewter City now."

"I figured you would be in a hurry to get out of here. Can't wait to get that first gym badge, huh?" Kelly questioned, rolling her eyes at Ash's nature.

Ash grinned, "Well you know me, I _need_ to get my first gym badge. How am I gonna be the best if I go to slow to enter the Pokémon League?"

Ritchie grinned back. He and Ash were similar, while Ash was a bit more hurried than he was. Ritchie noticed Misty standing next to Ash. "Well Ash, who's your friend?" He extended his hand. "I'm Ritchie."

Misty shook his hand and introduced herself. "I'm Misty from Cerulean City."

Kelly and Amanda introduced themselves, as well. Amanda asked, "Are you doing the Pokémon League too, Misty?"

Misty shook her head. "No, I'm from the Cerulean City Gym, and I'm just travelling to train my personal water Pokémon and catch some more."

"Wow, that's great," Kelly exclaimed, "Amanda actually started with a Squirtle."

Misty eyes went starry. "A Squirtle! I've always wanted one!"

While the five trainers talked happily, they caught the attention of another trainer from Pallet Town.

"Well, if it isn't the Pallet Town disappointments." The group of five was approached by Jake. "Honestly, Professor Oak should have given me all the starters. I mean while you are all here talking away, I already have three Pokémon. I'm the greatest trainer there ever was, you guys shouldn't even bother going against me for the Pokémon League."

Kelly replied smartly. "The only disappointment around here is how overinflated your head is."

Jake seemed angry, but tried to play if off coolly. "Doesn't matter I'm still the best trainer from Pallet Town."

Ash had enough of Jake's arrogance. "Well Jake, you aren't the only one with three Pokémon. I have three Pokémon, as well."

Jake smirked. "Well then, I challenge you to a battle. I'll beat you and show that I'm the best there is."

The group went over to a nearby field that was scattered with a few trees. Ash smiled inwardly. 'Perfect, the trees give Caterpie a large advantage,' he thought to himself.

Misty was chosen to be the referee, as she was the most familiar with official battles. "This is a three-on-three Pokémon battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Jake of Pallet Town. Both trainers are allowed to substitute Pokémon at the end of a round. The trainer to knock all three of their opponents Pokémon will be declared the victor. Jake, as the challenger you get to call the coin toss to see who goes first."

Jake confidently replied, "I say it's heads."

Misty flipped the coin. "The result is heads. Therefore, Jake has the first move."

Jake grabbed a Pokéball from his belt. "I have a rare Pokémon that I know you can't beat. Drowzee, let's crush him."

_Drowzeee! _A bipedal Pokémon emerged from the Pokéball, its upper body a yellowish gold color while its lower body, a dark brown. It had a trunk above its mouth and a lazy look in its eyes.

From the sidelines, Ritchie gasped. "Where did he get a Drowzee, they aren't found around here."

Kelly shrugged, "Who cares, Ash can probably beat it."

Ash knew he had the perfect Pokémon. "Caterpie, come on out."

Jake laughed arrogantly. "Ha you think your puny bug Pokémon can take on my Drowzee? As if. Alright Drowzee, start things off with a Pound attack."

Drowzee charged towards Caterpie with its arms raised.

"String Shot," Ash called out. Caterpie shot the silk thread towards Drowzee, which wrapped around the Pokémon's legs and slowed it down. Drowzee tried to break free of the String Shot but to no avail. Ash decided to take advantage of this. "Caterpie, get close and use Bug Bite."

Caterpie shot another thread of silk right onto Drowzee's trunk, and then used the thread to reel himself in. Then right when the Worm Pokémon got in front of Drowzee, Caterpie detached from thread and using the momentum went in for a powerful Bug Bite. Drowzee stumbled backwards, grunting in pain from the attack and still hindered by the String Shot.

Jake was irritated. "Drowzee, use Confusion to break free of those threads."

Its eyes glowing blue, Drowzee focused for a second. A blue glow surrounded the thread as well. The threads promptly snapped and Drowzee's eyes returned to their normal color.

Jake followed up. "Now Drowzee, use Ice Punch." Caterpie was still near Drowzee, and the Hypnosis Pokémon swung its fist, a light blue, misty glow surrounding it. The attack made contact, and Caterpie was sent flying backwards. Small pieces of ice coated his body and Caterpie struggled to recover.

Ash called out, "Come on Caterpie, I know you can do this!" Suddenly, Caterpie was surrounded in a whitish blue glow. The silhouette of Caterpie began to change shape into a more cocoon like structure. A few seconds later the glow stopped, and in the place of Caterpie was a dark green cocoon and chrysalis like Pokémon.

_Metapoddd. _The Pokémon cried out in a monotone voice. Ash pulled out his Pokédex.

"_Metapod, the Cocoon Pokémon and the evolved form of Caterpie. Using a hard shell to protect its body, it prepares for its next evolution."_ The Pokédex recited in its robotic voice. Ash checked the moves Metapod had learned with evolution and saw the new move, Harden.

Jake shouted out. "It doesn't matter if it evolved. We'll still take it down. Drowzee use another Ice Punch attack!"

"Metapod use Harden," Ash quickly commanded the Pokémon. A quick white glow surrounded Metapod and it disappeared a second later. Ash knew that it would increase the defense of Metapod's body since there was no time to dodge. Drowzee's Ice Punch made contact, but it did less damage than last time due to Metapod's increased defense.

"Metapod, Bug Bite," Ash called out. Before Drowzee could back away, Metapod bit onto its hand. Drowzee panicked due to the pain.

"One more Ice Punch," Jake yelled. Drowzee swung its free hand into Metapod breaking away. The third Ice Punch knocked away Metapod, small swirls in his eyes.

"Metapod is unable to battle. This round goes to Jake and his Drowzee," Misty stated.

Ash opened the Pokéball and returned Metapod in a flash of red light. "Good job Metapod, you deserve a nice rest." Ash now had Pikachu and Treecko left. Pikachu was on Ash's shoulder but Treecko had gone into his Pokéball for a bit. Ash decided to go with Treecko.

"Treecko, it's time to battle." Treecko emerged from his Pokéball, ready for the action.

Jake smirked. "Another Pokémon that's weak against Ice Punch. Drowzee, you know what to do!" Drowzee ran forward readying its Ice Punch attack.

"Treecko use Bullet Seed." The grass type Pokémon rapidly shot seeds glowing with green energy from his mouth. The attack made direct contact with Drowzee and exploded with energy when they hit Drowzee's body. Drowzee was stopped right in its tracks, staggering from the attack.

"Treecko follow up with Iron Tail, full power!" Ash commanded Treecko, determined to finish this battle before Drowzee could pull off an attack. Treecko ran forward, jumping into the air and spinning. Treecko swung his tail, glowing silver with energy, right into Drowzee's head.

The Hypnosis Pokémon was knocked to the floor. "Drowzee is unable to battle. This round goes to Ash and his Treecko."

Jake gritted his teeth angrily and threw his next Pokéball not noticing that Ash was about to open his Pokéball to return Treecko.

_Spearooowww!_ The flying type Pokémon emerged from Jake's Pokéball with the scowl typical of most Spearow in its face. Ash grinned to himself. He had returned Treecko already. Pikachu jumped forward from Ash's shoulder and onto the field.

_Pika!_ The electric type Pokémon yelled out enthusiastically. Pikachu thought to himself, 'Time to fry some Spearow.' Ash knew Pikachu had a vendetta against Spearow. He mentally gave this battle one minute max.

Ash decided that he would start things first this time. "Pikachu use Thundershock."

Pikachu released a stream of electricity from his cheeks. They flew towards Spearow. The Pokémon squawked angrily and spun through the air avoiding the attack. Pikachu was undaunted and kept shooting sparks of electricity at Spearow. On the third try, Pikachu hit Spearow, and kept a constant stream of electricity to hit Spearow for several seconds. Spearow hit the ground, thoroughly damaged.

"Spearow is unable to battle, therefore this round goes to Ash and his Pikachu," Misty called out.

Jake now looked furious. This was not how he had planned for the battle. Jake released his last Pokémon. "Bulbasaur, crush them."

Meanwhile, Ash called forth his Treecko, since Pikachu couldn't do much damage to grass types due to the lack of conductive substances in their bodies.

The two grass types stared each other down. Both were determined to win the battle for their trainers. "Treecko, use Leech Seed." Ash knew that Leech Seed didn't absorb as much health from Grass types, but he figured that the vines from Leech Seed would restrict Bulbasaur.

Treecko had managed to use Leech Seed very quickly, and Bulbasaur was left unable to dodge. The attack made contact and glowing reddish green vines wrapped around the Seed Pokémon.

Jake now commanded, "Bulbasaur use your own Leech Seed." Bulbasaur launched the same attack, but Treecko went with his instincts like Ash taught him and dodged the glowing seeds.

"Treecko use Iron Tail." Treecko continued running after dodging and jumped through the air hitting Bulbasaur with his glowing tail.

"Vine whip, Bulbasaur!" Before Treecko could jump away, Bulbasaur extended its vines from its bulb and caught Treecko by the hands. Jake continued, "Now swing it around and send it flying!"

"Treecko, use Bullet Seed, quickly!" Treecko launched green seeds of energy right at Bulbasaur. The attack made contact, but did little damage to the grass type. However, it served its purpose, as Bulbasaur couldn't swing as fast and Treecko was able to spin and land correctly. Bulbasaur shook off the attack, not heavily damaged but more surprised. The Seed Pokémon, staggered as energy was sapped from it due to Leech Seed. Tendrils of energy transferred from Bulbasaur to Treecko, who was in little need of the additional health.

Ash decided it was time to go for the finish. "Crush claw, then Iron Tail!" Treecko ran in, claws extending from his hands. He swiped and clawed Bulbasaur who tried to withstand the attack. Treecko then jumped up and came flipping back down, crashing his tail into Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon could no longer stand from the consecutive attacks and slumped onto the ground.

"Bulbasaur is unable battle. This round goes to Ash and his Treecko. Jake has lost all three of his Pokémon, so the victor is Ash of Pallet Town," Misty called out firmly.

Ash went to shake Jake's hand. "Good battle Jake." Jake, however, was upset with his loss and stormed off angrily.

"Someone's gotta work on his attitude," Kelly smirked. She turned to Ash. "Great battle Ash, you totally showed him."

Ash rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed at the attention. "Well…" he said while laughing sheepishly.

Ritchie nodded, "Yeah great battle Ash."

Amanda, likewise, congratulated him and said, "That was a good battle."

The group of five headed towards the Pokémon center. It was about two o'clock. Having just reached Viridian City, Ritchie, Kelly, and Amanda decided to stay at the Pokémon Center. Bidding them goodbye, Ash and Misty headed towards Viridian Forest. After his confrontations and battles from last night and today, Ash was eager and determined to get his very first gym badge.

* * *

**AN: Ok, so unlike the game Leech Seed affects Grass type Pokémon. I did this from the anime, after all, that is what the majority of this fanfic is based on. Also, it made no sense since Leech Seed was originally named after parasitic plants in the first place. So, in my fic it will effect Grass types to a certain extent. **


	5. Chapter 5 The Battle Club

**AN: So a long overdue chapter. I will not being doing every episode of Pokémon as a chapter. Honestly, it is kind of pointless. Like most Smart Ash stories, a few things are tweaked with the story along the way. The only large differences are Ash's accomplishments later on. Because of this, there will be small to medium time skips occasionally. Don't worry, they will still be covered somehow but not in the full detail of certain other events. The first one is about to happen…now! This should end up being a battle oriented chapter. **

Chapter 5 The Battle Club

Ash and Misty were walking through the outskirts of Pewter City and were slowly approaching the very heart of the city. It was around midday. The two had to camp out for the previous night in Viridian Forest.

Ash was happy with the adventures through Viridian Forest. He thought back fondly on what he had gained there.

_A Pidgeotto rocketed through the air towards Pikachu. Pikachu sent multiple streams of electricity towards the bird Pokémon, who had dodged several before falling to the onslaught of electricity. Falling to the ground the flying type Pokémon was quickly captured in a Pokéball._

_ In a battle with a trainer dressed in samurai getup, Metapod struggled against the opposing trainer's Pinsir. However, in a flash of bright light Metapod evolved into Butterfree and was able to dispatch Pinsir with his increased maneuverability and the new move Gust._

Ash came out of his memories, glad that he had evolved one Pokémon and caught another, in addition to getting some valuable training done in preparation for his upcoming gym battle. However, Ash was brought out of his musings by Misty who pointed at a nearby building.

"Wow look at that. I've never seen that here before it must be that new building that was still in construction when I last visited here," Misty stated.

Ash looked at said building. It was a large light green structure with many windows lining the walls. On a prominent sign right above the entrances was a white and red battlefield on an orange background. Underneath this in bold letters was "Pewter City Battle Club".

"Let's check out!" Ash exclaimed. He started running towards the building. As the two trainers approached the building they saw a large banner, indicating that the facility had just opened the previous week. They saw about ten trainers clamoring around the front desk.

"I wonder what the big deal is." Ash said aloud. One trainer who just finished up and left the desk overheard Ash.

"You mean you haven't heard? The Battle Club here just opened. This is the first branch outside Unova. In honor of that, they are hosting a Club Battle Tournament for rookie trainers. Anyone with less than two badges can join in and battle. It's perfect practice for the Pokémon league." The kid smirked at Ash for not knowing that information and left.

Ash frowned. "No need to be cocky," he muttered. "I hope I get to battle him so I can win," Ash told Misty. "You gonna sign up?"

"I can't Ash," Misty replied, "remember I'm technically a gym leader and this tournament is only for rookie trainers."

Ash nodded and got in line to sign up. As he approached the front desk, the man in charge introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Don George and I'm in charge of running this Battle Club facility. You here to sign up for the tournament or participate in some practice battles?"

The man had a thick mustache the pointed downwards on both sides. He was dressed in navy blue, sleeveless karate gi with a brown belt and brown wristbands.

Ash replied, "Hi, I want to sign up for the Club Battle tournament, and maybe afterwards I could have some battles?"

The man nodded and responded, "Sure, just let me have your Pokédex, so I can have your information for the tournament. Do you want to register as a member of the Kanto chain of Battle Clubs? This costs 300 Pokedollars, but you get to participate in both ranked and unranked battles. You also will get access to specialized training rooms. You just have to sign this release to let us use your pictures in advertisement media and of course pay the annual membership fee."

Ash thought this was a pretty good deal considered the facilities were opening up all over the Kanto region. "Yeah, I think I'll sign up for that too." Ash handed over his Pokédex. Don George placed the Pokédex into the slot in the computer. After a few moments the Pokédex was ejected out and Don George handed it back to Ash.

"So, do you want to try a practice battle right now?"

Ash enthusiastically replied to the man, "Sure! That'll be great!"

"Okay, let me match you up with someone at your skill level. Do you want to have a ranked or unranked battle?"

"I'll have a ranked battle," Ash stated.

"Alright, let me check what trainers are currently within the facility. Okay, here we are. Your opponent will be Erin Brooks. Be at battlefield B in five minutes," Don George instructed. "There will be a referee there, as well."

While Ash headed over to the battlefield, Misty decided to check out the rest of Pewter City, telling Ash she would meet him at the Pokémon Center. When Ash got the battlefield, his opponent was already there. Erin Brooks was a trainer about Ash's age. She wore dark blue jeans, a long sleeved light blue shirt and brown boots. She had a white scarf wrapped around her neck. Her blue eyes carried a look of determination and she wore hair brown ha

Ash walked over to his side of the battlefield and into the trainer's box. She raised her hand and waved to greet him.

"Hi, I'm Erin. You must be Ash?" Erin called out to him.

Ash nodded and replied, "I sure am. I hope you're ready to battle."

Erin smiled, "You can count on it."

A yellow-shirted referee walked over to his box a red colored flag in one hand and a green colored one in the other.

"This battle is between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town on the red side and Erin Brooks from Cerulean City. Now we spin to see what kind of battle this will be." The referee clicked a remote and the big screen behind him showed a wheel. The wheel landed at: "2 v. 2"

The referee continued, "This will be a 2 on 2 match with no changes in the middle of a battle. When either trainer loses both Pokémon, this battle will be over. According to the coin flip, Erin gets the first move. Let the battle BEGIN!"

Erin threw out her first Pokéball, "Cloyster, let's go!" A black pearl-like Pokémon emerged. It was covered in a light grey inner shell, with a second purple outer shell. It had a grey horn right above its head attached to the inner shell, while the outer purple shell had multiple conical horns.

_Cloooy. _The Pokémon gave a low cry, almost a whisper.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex. "_Cloyster, the Bivalve Pokémon. Its shell is extremely hard. It cannot be shattered, even with a bomb. The shell opens only when it is attacking." _

Ash decided to go with a type advantage. "Pikachu, it's time to battle!"

Pikachu jumped of Ash's shoulder onto all four feet.

As Erin had the first move, she commanded her Pokémon. "Cloyster, use Ice Beam on Pikachu!" Cloyster began shooting jagged beams of bluish light. Pikachu began dodging and as the beams touched the ground where Pikachu had been, ice began to form. Cloyster kept the beams going to try and hit Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge in a zigzag pattern, don't stay in a straight line," Ash yelled out. Pikachu kept dodging, but eventually slipped on some previously formed ice. However, before Cloyster could take advantage of the situation and freeze Pikachu, the beam abruptly stopped.

"Darn! I though Cloyster finally had that attack down!" exclaimed Erin. "Alright, use Bubblebeam instead." Cloyster sent forth a barrage of blue bubbles. The attack rapidly approached Pikachu who was unable to dodge after slipping on the ice. The bubbles hit Pikachu and burst on impact creating a small explosion of smoke and sending Pikachu flying backwards.

"Pikachu, try shaking it off and use Thundershock!" Cloyster has just opened its shell and before it could close Pikachu released a burst of electricity. The Bivalve Pokémon was thoroughly shocked by the super effective attack. "Now Pikachu, follow up with an Iron Tail attack."

Pikachu ran in close, his tail starting to glow silver. Flipping through the air Pikachu spun his tail towards Cloyster.

Erin went with the defensive approach, "Cloyster use Withdraw."

Ash grinned. He knew that Withdraw would raise the defensive power, but Iron Tail would still cause damage. His thoughts were confirmed when Cloyster's shell briefly glowed white before its shell was hit by the Iron Tail and let out a low grunt.

Erin now yelled out, "Quick! While Pikachu is close, use Ice Beam!" Cloyster released the jagged beam of blue light which directly hit Pikachu, blasting the mouse Pokémon backwards and freezing him in a solid block of ice.

Ash was astounded. "Ahh, Pikachu! Get out of there! Thundershock!"

Pikachu began releasing sparks of electricity, creating cracks in the ice. In determination, Pikachu increased the power and the ice split and flew in all directions. Pikachu then shot all the charged electricity at Cloyster. Unable to defend against the power of the attack, the Bivalve Pokémon braced itself. It soon fainted, unable to withstand the onslaught of Pikachu's electric attack.

The referee made the call, "Cloyster is unable to battle. This round goes to Ash and his Pikachu."

"Cloyster return. You did a good job, take a nice rest." Erin returned her Pokémon to its Pokéball. Drawing another Pokéball, Erin sent out her next Pokémon. "Umbreon come on out!"

A four legged Pokémon with a sleek black body and yellow rings on its body emerged.

"Let the battle begin," stated the referee.

Ash decided to start things off quickly, since Pikachu had already taken damage. "Pikachu uses Thundershock!"

Umbreon nimbly dodged the streams of electricity. "Umbreon use Faint Attack!" The Pokémon jumped forward quickly a hit Pikachu, sending the mouse Pokémon flying. Pikachu was knocked unconscious and fell the ground.

"Pikachu is unable. This round goes to Erin and her Umbreon."

Ash mentally went over what to do next. He had Butterfree, Pidgeotto, and Treecko. 'Butterfree has super effective attacks, but Umbreon seems to be much faster than him. I'm gonna need some speed to beat that Umbreon, so it's between Treecko and Pidgeotto. I've had Treecko longer, so in a battle like this Treecko is the better decision.'

"Alright, Treecko it's time to battle!" Ash threw his Pokéball and Treecko emerged from it, as the Pokémon had been resting in the containment device.

_Treeeecko!_

"Let the battle begin," called the referee.

"Umbreon use Faint Attack!" The black Pokémon sped forward and hit Treecko with the unavoidable attack.

"Treecko hit back with Crush Claw!" Glowing white claws extended from Treeko's hands, and the Wood Gecko Pokémon swiped at and hit Umbreon. "Now Treecko, follow up with a Bullet Seed attack."

Treecko released a barrage of green, glowing seeds that began hitting Umbreon. The seeds burst upon contact releasing energy and creating a small explosion of smoke that sent Umbreon flying.

"Umbreon try to land properly!" Umbreon righted itself in the air and managed to shakily land on all fours. "Now use Bite." Umbreon jumped towards Treecko and clamped its mouth down onto Treecko's right forearm.

_Treeeeeeeee! _Treecko exclaimed in pain, trying to shake off the other Pokémon.

"Umbreon spin Treecko and send it flying!" Umbreon picked up Treecko and began spinning the gecko around in circle through the air by the arm. Umbreon then released its hold on Treecko's forearm and sent the grass type flying through the air.

Treecko hit the ground hard and shakily pulled himself up, struggling for energy. Suddenly, a green aura appeared around Treecko. Realization struck Ash, 'That must be Overgrow!'

"Treecko use Bullet Seed." The grass type sent forth another barrage of seeds, much larger and more powerful than the previous.

Umbreon dodged the majority of the attack, taking a few glancing hits but shaking them off. "Time for our ace," Erin stated. "Umbreon use Shadow Ball." The Moonlight Pokémon sent a sphere of black energy shooting towards to Treecko.

"Treecko use Bullet Seed again to counter that Shadow Ball!" Treecko's Bullet Seed collided with oncoming Shadow Ball, resulting in a medium sized explosion that send both Pokémon flying backwards and covered half the battle field in smoke. When the smoke cleared both Pokémon were on the floor, slowly struggling to get back.

_Umbree…_

_ Tre…Tree...cko._

Treecko succumbed to the exhaustion and fell down again, unable to get up.

"Treecko is unable to battle. This round goes to Erin and her Umbreon. The winner of this battle is Erin Brooks of Cerulean City."

Ash and Erin shook hands.

"That was a good battle Ash. Maybe we'll battle again at the tournament." said Erin, smiling.

"Thanks Erin, and I look forward to it," replied Ash.

Ash left and headed over to the Pokémon center, reflecting on his first loss as a trainer. 'Well,' he thought, 'this just means I have to train more. And I'm not gonna lose the Pewter Tournament!'

_Next time: Pewter City Tournament_

* * *

_Teaser for future chapter (not the near future)_

'Damn it all,' Ash thought, 'of course he would have a freakin' legendary! With my luck I shouldn't have expected anything less.' Ash yelled in his mind while starting down his opponent and the legendary Pokémon across the field from him. 'Well, here goes nothing.'

"Sceptile, it's time to battle!" Ash threw the Pokéball and his faithful starter emerged.

"Let the battle begin."

"Sceptile charge in and use Leaf Blade!"

Blades of green energy emerging from his forearms, Sceptile ran towards the opposing legendary.

Ash's opponent just stood there, stoic expression on his face. Right when Sceptile was about to hit, he yelled out, "Terrakion, Sacred Sword!"

**AN: Sorry for the long, long wait. School started a few weeks back, so I got really busy. I know this chapter is pretty short, I'll try to make it up in the next one. Let me know what you think. **


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